The Mill House Media blog archive
Allan Scott has chosen to keep these posts online as many still have value – and they also include a record of his 40-year freelance career – a host of experiences that he cherishes and is happy to share with anyone who might learn something from them. He regrets (almost) nothing – and he’s had a ball…
All change?
Change, in business, is something that comes with the territory. Mostly because if it doesn't, the business won't survive. There's a (very) old joke among typographers about the Latin tag 'in perpetua floreat nihil'. Which they translate as 'nothing looks good in...
Talking the talk – writing for the spoken word
We don't speak in the same way that we write. So if you're writing something that's going to be read aloud, you need to think a little differently. Short sentences. Ungrammatical constructions. (Or, at least, not strictly grammatical.) Careful word choice. (No...
Video? Let the pictures do the talking
Video is a visual medium. Yes? Well, obviously. But in my experience many senior executives have a serious problem understanding that. And I say that after spending around thirty years of my life as a visual scriptwriter... 'The CEO just wants to add his input...'...
New Year, new motivation
New Year is back, and it's time for a couple of resolutions. So here's one for every writer. Whatever it is you're writing. 'Don't forget to write!' Seriously. Don't. Especially if you work from home. Because if you do, your typical writing day might go something like...
Email lists – where small is beautiful…
How will GDPR affect your email list? In this blog I've often talked about the importance of your email list. Explained why it's a key business asset. Why building and maintaining it is so important. And why you need to nurture it. Well - now you need to...
Cleaning your email list – with GDPR in mind…
If you're sending out email newsletters, you may (or may not) have some concerns about the new rules coming in under the General Data Protection Regulations - otherwise known as GDPR. And yes, I know you've seen a lot about this already - but bear with me...
Have I got old blogs for you…!
There's nothing wrong with reposting old blogs on social media - provided, of course, that the content is still relevant. Which pretty much comes down to the way you write them. We've covered this topic in an earlier post which looked at the difference between topical...
How much do you love your customers?
Do you love your customers enough to send them a Valentine? Well, no, probably not. In any case it might be misconstrued. But there are subtler and more effective ways of showing them just how much you care about them. Consider, for example, how and when you...
Checklists – do you love them or loathe them?
A note of introduction... I can personally vouch for the life-saving possibilities of checklists - because I've seen them in action at my local hospital, when I went in for an operation that was once so serious that the diarist Samuel Pepys used it as the touchstone...
The five copywriting mistakes you need to stop making today
Great copywriting entices your customers, engages them and convinces them to take the desired action. Poor copywriting is a waste of everyone’s time – especially yours. Sadly, many businesses have web pages, blogs and newsletters chock full of...
How to write website copy that works
Website copy can be a real challenge. It is usually the element that delays most website builds. As a business owner, you’re called on to manage a variety of tasks from marketing and accounting to being chief cook and bottle washer! Even so, communicating your...
Do you have a cunning (marketing) plan?
Do you have a marketing plan? (Cunning or otherwise?) If not, in this season of resolutions, making one is a great way to start the year. Because otherwise you know what happens... The phone rings. Your inbox is suddenly bursting with (mostly irrelevant) emails. Your...